STANDARD WARNING: This is a
work of fiction. Any similarity to individuals, living or dead,
is pure coincidence. Do not read this story if you are offended
by man-to-man romance or sex. Do not read if you are underage
according to the laws in the country, state/province, county,
city/town/village or township where you live. There is sex
between males. You have been warned!

Copyright 2000 by archer. Permission is
granted to Nifty Archives, ASSGM, and gaywritings, to post one
copy. No part may be copied, reproduced, republished, or reposted
on another website without written permission from the author.

Paternal Instincts

By Archer

Chapter 35

Brian awoke with a shout!

There was a shadowy figure standing in the
doorway to his bedroom. The hall light was on and it backlit the
figure. Maybe it was the SS to drag him off. Maybe it was the
police and they knew what he and Mike had done this afternoon.

Matts voice: "Im sorry,
Brian. I didnt mean to wake you up."

Matt had turned on the hall light to watch
Brian sleep. He couldnt get back to sleep since he was
awakened by a nightmare and because he was upset over an argument
he had had with Brian. It was their first major argument. Matt
had just wanted to watch Brian sleep. He always looked so angelic
and innocent. Somehow, Brian had sensed a presence.

"I owe you an apology," Matt said
in a businesslike monotone. "Im sorry I lost my
temper.

Brian sat up in bed. "Im sorry,
too," he said quietly and simply.

"Sometimes I have to lay down the
law."

"But you dont have to do it like
you did."

"Youre absolutely right."
Matt rummaged in his mental toolbox for another, more
comfortable, topic. "Did you get your letter off to Tommy
today?" Each Friday, Brian sent Tommy a letter. It was the
only way the two boys could keep in contact since St. Lukes
would not permit Brian to call Tommy or vice versa. Every week,
Brian begged a stamp from Matt, until Matt bought him his own
book. The return letters from Tommy were sporadic, but Brian
wrote weekly nonetheless. Matt was dying to know what was in the
letters, but Brian never offered to show him, and Matt was too
proud to snoop.

"Well, goodnight," Matt said
sadly as he turned and started down the hall again. The
reconciliation had been stiff and formal but sincere. There was
still a lot that they both left unsaid, and the unspoken words
were a wall of ice between them. Matt had asserted his parental
duties, and Brian had rebelled in typical adolescent fashion.

Matt crossed the room in two strides. He
knelt beside the bed and engulfed the boy in a tight hug. "I
love you, too, Brian. With all my heart."

"You scared me at first. I thought you
were a Nazi at the door."

Matt chucked. "Im sure you think
Im a Nazi sometimes."

"Why were you awake, anyway?"

"I had a bad dream. I think that movie
affected me more than I thought at first. I guess it makes sense,
though?"

"What?"

"In a way, gays are still persecuted
and discriminated against. No, theres no concentration
camps now as there were then. The Nazis did send thousands of gay
men to the gas chambers. Thats where the pink triangle
symbol came from. Instead of a yellow star of David, they wore a
pink triangle."

"Schindlers List gave me
a lot to think about."

"Me, too. Just like the Jews in the
film, weve got to watch to make sure it never happens
again."

They held each other for a long moment,
allowing their bodies to say the hundreds of other things that
were still left unsaid.

Brian gripped him tighter. A few moments
later, he asked the question that had been troubling him since
their argument. "Will you adopt me?"

Matt was silent for a long time.

"Do you need time to think about
it?" Brian prompted him.

"No." For a terrifying split
second Brian thought Matt was going to give him the answer he
dreaded.

"No, I dont need time to think
about it. Wheres that ring I bought for you at Northalstead
Market Days?"

"Its on the dresser. Why?"

Matt found the ring among a constellation
of coins and other jewelry. He sat on the edge of the bed, took
Brians left hand and grinned at him.

"You are a young man that anyone would
be proud to call a son." He lifted Brians left hand
and slipped the ring on his finger. "Would you be my
son?"

Brian threw his head back and laughed.
"Sometimes, Matt, you are such a freak!" Then he became
serious. "Yes, I will be your son."

"The six-month limit is almost here.
Jeez that time went fast. You came to live here full-time in
August, so as of February, youll be eligible."

Matt was under a lot of stress. His
argument (he refused to call it a fight) with Brian was just the
tip of the iceberg.

His mom had moved back to the Chicago area,
after living out of state with another man for several years.
They had talked on the phone at length about her decision. Gloria
told Matt she wanted to experience what it was like to live on
her own. She had never had the opportunity to do so because she
had always been someone elses daughter, or wife or mother.
She got a job at Palos Community Hospital, and settled in an
apartment in Orland Park. Matt wondered about the underlying
reasons and motives for her moves, but was too busy to question
her about it. He was too busy managing the bookstore. She got
along well with Tim and had gradually accepted Brian.

The bookstore he managed was still doing
well, but it was almost a victim of its own success. He
could never find enough employees. And the pay guidelines from
the company were ridiculous. Not to mention that it was the
Christmas season, and he was working in retail.

The Monday before Thanksgiving, he got a
call at the store. He was shorthanded because one of his
part-timers had called in sick. There were more shoppers than
usual at the mall, and Matt was feverishly trying to finish
preparing the store for Christmas.

Martha answered the phone and said to Matt,
"Its some young man asking for dad." Martha was
just teasing Matt. She knew it was Brian, and knew all about
Matts becoming a parent. In fact, she was one of his
biggest supporters.

"Dad?"

Matt intended on this call taking as little
time as possible. "Whats up, Brian?"

"I need to talk to Tommy."

"You wrote him this week, didnt
you?"

"Yeah, but I need to talk to
him."

"You know you cant. What
happened?" To a customer, he said, "Thanks a lot. Enjoy
your book."

"What?"

"I was talking to a customer. Now,
tell me what happened."

"I got a letter from Tommy and he got
kicked out of his foster home."

"I thought he was at St.
Lukes."

"He is, or he was. Oh, I dont
know," Brian was frustrated. "Thats why I have to
talk to him."

"Brian, even if you call him, they
wont let you talk to him."

"Well, maybe you can take me after you
get home from work."

"Thats not possible, either,
Brian, You have to have prior permission to go on campus. You
know that."

"You know Bill. Maybe you could pull
some strings."

"Brian, Im extremely busy right
now," he said as he opened the safe for change. "You
know all the answers to your questions. You were a student at St.
Lukes. Put your other father on."

Tim came on the line. "Hi, babe.
Busy?"

"Very. What is Brians major
malfunction?"

"I guess that Tommy is back at St.
Lukes. He was in a foster home, but they kicked him out.
Tommy wrote that he wanted to see Brian right away."

"Thats sad, and I feel for
Tommy. But, they have counselors at St. Lukes who can help
more than Brian."

Tim said quietly, "Sometimes when you
need someone to talk to only a friend will do."

Matt sighed. Tim was right. "OK. I
promise Ill call Bill as soon as I get home. I dont
have time to call from the store. Dont promise Brian
anything until I find out the situation."

"Sounds good to me. Sell lots of
books. I love you."

"I love you, too. And tell Brian I
love him."

The moment he walked in the house, Brian
handed Matt the letter. As he took off his coat, he read the
childish script.

Dear Brian:

By now, you probly now that
Im not at my foster home any more. They
kick me out. Didnt tell me why. I need you.
I wont to see you. Please. Ask you dad to bring
you to St. Puke. Or something. I miss you. I love
you. Write soon.

Love, Tommy

"Something must have happened,"
Matt muttered as he dialed Bills number. Luckily, Bill was
still in his office. He hated to bother Bill at home. Of course,
Bill didnt hesitate to call Matt at home or work if he
needed something.

"You did it again, Matt," Bill
said when he answered the phone.

Matt smiled. "Did what?"

"Came through at exactly the right
time."

Matt was tired and hungry and in no mood
for guessing games. "What do you mean, Bill?" he asked
with slightly more edge to his voice than he intended.

"Youre calling about Tommy
Grady. Hes going through a rough time. And I dont
think he has anywhere to go for Thanksgiving."

"What happened? Brian got a letter
from Tommy. Why was he kicked out of the foster home? I met him
once or twice and he seemed to be a nice kid."

"He is. Tommys a great kid, but
it was just a bad situation. Its really kind of a sensitive
topic. Tommy is eleven so his counselor would be Mary Harrison.
Are you free tomorrow evening?"

"Yeah."

"Ill set you up with an
appointment and she can fill you in on the details of what
happened. You have no problem taking him for the Thanksgiving
weekend?"

"No problem at all. I have an extra
bedroom."

"Thanks, Matt. Mary and I appreciate
it." He paused. "Oh, by the way, are you adopting
Brian?"

"Yes, it looks like it." From
upstairs, he heard a whoop. Brian had been listening in on the
extension. Matt yelled to Brian, "Hang up that phone,
NOW!" Matt heard the click, and within seconds, Brian was
downstairs hugging and kissing him. Matt giggled.

"Is that him?"

"Thats our little blond
bombshell." To Brian he said, "Take it easy, please,
Im still on the phone."

"St. Lukes does everything for
you when you adopt. We hire an attorney, set up the court date,
everything. All you have to do is show up."

"Wow, sounds like a lot of work."

"Its part of the services we
offer. Just to let you know, and give you something to think
about, ODonnell is planning some sort of Adoption Ceremony
at the end of school. This will be the first time weve done
it. It looks like a neat ceremony so far. Well, Im sure you
have to go, and I do, too. Mary will be in touch before Thursday.
Im sure you will want the whole story before you commit to
taking Tommy."

When Matt got off the phone with Bill, he
sat down to talk with Brian. "Tell me about Tommy."

"Like what?" Matt hated when
Brian played stupid.

"Well, for example," he asked
patiently, "how did you two end up hanging out
together?"

"He was really homesick at camp one
night, and I was sitting outside with Tip doing Quad Duty. He
wouldnt stop crying, and he was keeping the whole cabin
awake. Tip brought him outside to the gazebo, but he still
wouldnt stop crying. I had an idea to get Prints. When I
handed him Prints, he stopped right away."

"That was a good idea, Brian, and a
very sweet thing to do."

"After that, he started to follow me
around. Jason and Mike didnt want him around. It even
bothered me at first. But there was something different about
him, like I knew him before."

Matt chuckled.

Brian lowered his voice. "And no, we
never did anything."

"How did you know I was going to
ask?"

"I just knew. It would have been too
weird. Hes more like a little brother to me. Plus,
hes too young."

"So he was more like a brother."

"Yeah. How is he doing, now?"

"Hes OK. Hes getting some
counseling. Im sure hell be much better once he sees
you."

It had been several months since Matt had
seen Mary Harrison. Her office was right next to Bills in
the basement of the Admin Building. Their offices were a study in
contrasts.

Bills office was dark, and not only
because it was in the basement. He eschewed the fluorescent
lights overhead for a desk lamp. One wall was paneled in dark
wood. His chairs were covered in black material. He had no
pictures on the wall. The desk was cluttered with a computer and
papers and a phone.

Marys office, on the other hand, was
bright and cheerful. She had no qualms about using the overhead
lights. The walls were covered with artwork done by children,
some of it framed. She had an art easel set up with newsprint,
obviously for the kids who came to her office to draw on.
Currently, the easel was blank. Once he was seated in one of the
chairs, which were covered in floral fabric, he noticed the small
school desk against the wall. There were markers, colored pencils
and crayons in plastic cups. Matt knew these materials were used
for working on their Lifebooks.

Lifebooks were a therapeutic tool that some
counselors used with their clients. It was a tool to help the
boys deal with the loss of their natural families and to help the
transition to new permanent families.

Mary bustled into the room wearing a long,
flowing skirt. Matt had never seen her in a dress. He grinned as
she shook his hand.

"Im so pleased you taking an
interest in Tommy," she began.

"I have to confess it has more to do
with Brian."

"Even so, Tommy needs the support
right now. It will help to spend time with Brian and you. I know
youre a great parent."

"Just a second, Mary. No one said
anything about fostering him let alone adopting him. I understood
I was just taking him for Thanksgiving weekend."

She smiled and her eyes crinkled.
"Well, I can hope. Tommy is different from Brian. He has
more needs than Brian. Hell need more supervision. And his
educational needs are different."

Matt wasnt entirely comfortable with
the direction of the conversation. Mary was talking as if
Tommys adoption was a done deal. He changed the subject.
"So what happened with the foster placement?"

"He was placed with a family in
Downers Grove. They had just lost a son, who was about
eleven or twelve to leukemia less than a year ago. They have an
older son who is fifteen or sixteen. Everything went along well
until this weekend. A few weeks ago, there was some sort of
sexual incident between the two. The older son kept it quiet as
long as he could, but then, I guess he couldnt. He broke
down and told the whole story to the parents."

"Well, the parents freaked out.
Theres no doubt in my mind that they overreacted. They
threw him out of the house. They simply dumped all his stuff onto
the front porch and called us to come and get him."

"Oh, God, that poor kid."

"It didnt help that Ray Rossi,
the other elementary counselor, didnt tell them about his
sexuality, or that we think his sexuality is, well, different. If
Rossi had been upfront with them about it, they might have been
more watchful, or they might not have taken him at all. In any
event, this whole situation might have been avoided. There may be
some fallout from this, I need to let you know." She paused
while she tapped a pencil to her lips. "But then again,
hes quite resilient. There may be no repercussions at all.
Youll have to watch him carefully."

"I will," Matt promised.

"Theres one more thing we need
to address." She paused nervously. "Have you talked
about sex with Brian?"

"Sure."

"You will need to sit down with him
and have a talk with him about limits," she swallowed
nervously. "Sexual limits."

"What do you mean?" Matt asked,
although he knew full well what she was talking about.

"Well, some sex play may be natural
among boys, but it also can be avoided. And in this case, it
would be best considering Tommys history. We cant
leave some things unsaid and hope that the kids will do what we
expect."

"Brian mentioned to me that
theyve never had sex. He feels too brotherly."

"Even so, Matt. I think you need to
make it clear to Brian. Can you do that?"

"Sure."

Mary relaxed visibly. Outside the office,
Matt could hear the voices of boys. One of them was insisting,
"But she said I could see her anytime. I want to talk to
her."

Marys brow furrowed. "That
sounds like Tommy." She stood up and poked her head outside
her office. "Tommy," she called. "Tommy, come here
for a second."

Tommy grinned and approached the counselor.

"Theres someone I want you to
meet." She led the redhead into the office.

"No," Mary answered before Matt
could respond. "You have school tomorrow."

"Oh, man."

Matt smiled at him. "But you can stay
until Sunday."

"What time will you be here tomorrow,
Matt, so I will have him ready?"

"Im off all day tomorrow. I have
to work Friday. Tomorrow is a comp day for me." He thought
for a moment. "I guess Ill wait until Brian gets home
from school, then he can come, too. Is that OK?"

"Perfect," Mary smiled.

Matt spent the next day preparing for the
holiday and for his new visitor. He had invited his mom for
Thanksgiving dinner, and she was due to arrive about three in the
afternoon. Marty was going to stop in for dessert after he had
dinner at his parents. It was going to be an interesting
combination of people, one that Matt hoped wouldnt come
back to haunt him.

All morning, Matt worked steadily cleaning
house. Matt liked to have the house to himself, and it was a rare
occurrence these days. He cranked up the receiver to listen to
music as he did chores. He vacuumed, peeled and chopped
vegetables, took inventory of all the food and started laundry.
He swept and mopped the kitchen floor.

In the basement, one load of laundry
finished and he went down to start the dryer. The dryer blew its
hot breath in his face when he opened the door. He pulled out the
clothes, and put them in a basket, intending on folding them. As
he loaded the wet clothes into the dryer, someone poked him in
the ribs.

He let out a shout!

It was Tim.

"For Gods sake, Tim, you scared
the shit out of me!"

Tim had a mischievous grin on his face, and
his dimples were showing.

"What are you doing home,
anyway?"

"I forgot my lunch."

"Bullshit."

Tim wrapped his arms around Matts
waist and lifted him off the ground. "Ok, so I came home
because I knew youd be here." He kissed Matts
neck.

"Thats sweet," Matt
laughed.

"So how about a little afternoon
nookie?"

Matt laughed again. "This scene sounds
so familiar. I seem to recall an incident in the shower." He
opened the washer to add fabric softener.

"Im excited about meeting
Tommy."

"Youll like him, Im
sure."

"So does this mean the giant stork is
going make another delivery?"

"Lets not jump the gun
here."

But Tim wouldnt give up the joke. He
rubbed Matts tummy. "You dont look pregnant. How
far along are you?"

"If Im pregnant, its all
your fault," Matt replied in the same vein.

Matt closed the lid to the washer and
turned around again. "I love you, too. I dont think I
tell you enough." His voice quavered with emotion. Tears
threatened in the corners of his eyes. They kissed. Their tongues
melted into one inside their mouths. Matt made little groaning
sounds in his throat.

Tim rubbed the front of Matts
sweatpants until he had a roaring erection. As they continued to
kiss, Tim worked his hand under the sweats and his underwear
until he gripped Matts cock. He pulled his cock out, and
sank to his knees and took it in.

Without notice he released Matts
cock, and a string of saliva trailed from the glans to the
concrete floor. Tim grinned again, placed his hands under
Matts arms and lifted him onto the top of the washer. Matt
was excited at the sight of Tims forearms as the muscles
flexed to lift him.

Roughly, Tim pulled his sweatpants the rest
of the way off. He took his penis in his mouth again, and bobbed
up and down. Then he took a deep breath in through his nostrils,
and plunged all the way down. His lips came to rest on
Matts pubic hair.

At the exact moment he did this, the washer
started the spin cycle. The vibrating motion and warmth of the
washer, plus Tims loving mouth sent Matt into an orgasm
matched by few others in his lifetime.

Matt panted and ran his fingers through
Tims hair.

"Thanks for lunch. That was much
better than some old sandwich."

"We have to have a little talk about
Tommy," Matt said on the way over to St. Lukes.

"OK," Brian said tentatively.

"We talked about this before, but I
just wanted to make sure were on the same page. OK?"

"OK."

"You said before that you felt
brotherly toward Tommy ."

"Dad," Brian interrupted. Brian
rested his left hand on Matts forearm. "Im not
going to have sex with Tommy. I promise. OK?"

Matt threw his head back and laughed.
Partly it was the way Brian said it. He had stated it in an
almost patronizing manner, as if he were a kindergarten teacher
talking to her class.

Matt couldnt resist playing along
with him. "Im so glad we had this talk, dad," he
said with a grin.

"No problem, son."

"Oh, and dad? One other thing."

"Yes, son?"

"Try not to drop too many hairpins in
front of my mother tomorrow."

They were one of the first to arrive at St.
Lukes to pick up a boy for the long holiday weekend. Most
of the other parents foster or natural, would arrive after work
to pick up their boys. Matt parked the Saturn in back of Sears
cottage in the small parking area. As they approached the
building, small faces watched their approach. To Matt, the scene
was touching and sad in a way. He recalled that his approach to
Trees cottage was never under such scrutiny.

He met Peggy Zimmerman, who was the
housemother for Sears. She was a warm, friendly woman who had
once been a nun. A group of about nine boys gathered in a
semicircle around Matt and Brian.

Peggy called down the hall for Tommy. He
ran down the hall carrying a gym bag he had found in the clothing
store. St. Lukes ran a clothing store with
donated clothes and castoffs purchased in bulk. Boys could
purchase what they wanted with points they accumulated for doing
chores or earning good grades.

"Hi, Brian," Tommy said in his
high boyish voice. He hugged the older boy.

Peggy smiled widely as she observed the
scene. The other boys looked on with envy. Tommy turned his
attention to Matt.

"You must be Brians dad."
Tommy already knew who he was.

"Yes, I must be," Matt joked.

"Oh, a funny guy," Tommy said as
he hugged Matt.

"Have a nice holiday," Peggy
said. He shook her hand.

"You, too. Im sure well be
seeing a lot more of each other in the future."

As they exited the building, Tommy said to
Matt, "Would you carry me?"

Matt grinned and picked him up. He wondered
about Tommys request. Brian had never made such a request.
He wondered if Tommy had done it so the other boys could see it.

It didnt matter in the least.
Carrying Tommy for the short distance to the car, Matt could tell
how comfortable he was going to be with the boy.

Almost as if he was part of the family
already.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. As
always, your comments and suggestions are welcome. Just click on
one of the links below. And don't forget to check out my website
(Chapters are always posted there earlier than here) and my other
story here on Nifty, Pocketful of Stars, in the Young
Friends section.